If I just jumped into this review and started talking about graphics in the first paragraph you would feel a little bewildered, wouldn't you? Well, there's no need to worry, because I'm not going to do that. However, Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone does, putting you in the middle of the action straight away without any help! Some may look at this as a selling point but I don't like to see twenty trolls charging at me when I have no clue what to do and with no on screen tips, nothing at all in fact, to help me!

Demon Stone is a hack-an-slash game, one of the most simplistic genres around. Baulder's Gate is a fine example of a successful hack-and-slash due to its multiplayer features and ease of play [And don't forget the RPG elements… Ed]. But will Demon Stone manage to defend itself when it goes against the daddy of carnage? There's only one way to find out.

Now, a nice introduction like the one above would have helped a lot in Demon Stone but as I already mentioned, it dumps you in without a clue. There's a short opening video before you are thrown into the action but it feels like you're lost in a dark forest. And if you don't like being lost or you have a fear of surprise then I suggest you turn away! After you've completed the hectic first level you meet two other members that soon join your team. You take the role of a fighter to start with and then you meet up with a stealthy, knife-wielding princess, who then meets a longhaired magician. You soon control all three of these unique characters, which becomes apparent in the next level. Again, this level sports a small intro and then dumps you in without further instruction. But later it becomes apparent what you are doing and how to do it. I suppose this isn't such a bad thing, because it really does leave you wondering and wanting more story revealed.

After each level, your characters get the chance to spend their experience points on combo attacks, weapon upgrades and other exciting things. This system is very similar to the The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers and with a little bit of research I discovered that it was from the developers of that very same game. Your fighter can buy combos and strength upgrades, the stealthy woman can purchase sneaking upgrades and other bits and bobs to enrich the gameplay. But the best character of the game is the mage, magician or sorcerer - call him what you want, he's superb. The gameplay orientated around this wizard makes the game in my eyes, but before we talk about his role, let's talk about the upgrades available to him. Not only can you buy combo attacks for Mr. Mage's staff, you can buy all sorts of powers to use against enemies, many of which are reusable. You can buy magic bombs, fire missiles, poison bolts and just about anything you can think of.

The mage has some nice features and enjoyable elements when you're playing the actual game and while you're controlling the mage, the other two less interesting characters tag along behind and fight when they are needed. The same goes for when you are controlling the fighter or the rogue; the other two are computer controlled. Every character has three special bars that play crucial parts. The red bar is health and you won't get far without it, which can be replenished via certain potions. The second is blue for mana and the mage uses this more than the other character, as it is used for magic. The last bar is yellow and is cleverly named the Hero Bar.

The Hero Bar allows you to press L2 when you're in trouble and the other AI characters perform their best moves on the selected enemy - in slow motion! Not only that, all three heroes get a special attack meter that flashes when you've killed enough enemies. You can use these specials individually but if and when all three heroes have their special bar on full you can all team together for a spectacular blitz.

All of these are nice features that break up the repetitive hack 'n' slash gameplay, which for the most part just requires pressing the X button and throwing in the odd circle button press for good luck. This is why I prefer the mage, because there's more to do - fight, lay bombs and fire missiles; when you add this together it makes it more enjoyable. The stealth rogue is second best, because she can turn invisible and perform gruesome executions. However, the invisibility comes on automatically when the time is right and you can bet your last Rolo that when you need it the most, it isn't the right time! It's a shame, because a character that uses invisibility could have potentially been fantastic - but if you cannot control when the feature is activated then what's the use?

I don't mean to kick the demon in the teeth but this game could have been so much better if it would have supported two players! The Return of the King manages to include this feature and the same developers made Demon Stone! You could have easily controlled two characters at the same time on the same screen but for some reason there's no two player co-operative mode here. And with each character having his or her special ability such as jumping and slamming, well, players could have had some seriously fun team play.

At least the game has a good storyline that should keep fans of the genre entertained, because of its secretive nature; you must play to reveal more, which I like - at least to an extent. The voiceovers are superb; crisp, clear, well spoken and they sound familiar - maybe there are some big name actors in there. The rest of the game's audio is overall enjoyable when it's present and some of the sound effects are quite good too - but it doesn't really blow you away. Graphically things are a mixed bag, some aspects are pleasing and others a little disappointing. For example, when you set somebody on fire using the mage you can hardly see flames on the enemy you just scorched, yet in the first hectic level there are goblins launching fireballs and flaming arrows through the air, which do look very nice.

The graphical highlights come in the form of the surroundings that you explore and enemies that you encounter. All of the levels look unique, which is quite rare considering the genre; because hack 'n' slash games are renowned for repetitive levels! Cliff edges looks smart and levels take place in both indoor and outdoor environments. Large chapels, goblin-infested caves and rocky mountains are all here for your viewing pleasure, with very appealing level design to boot. The character designs are great with plenty of variety in the facial expressions and the armour looks good but it doesn't change very often. The bosses in the game are furious and for the most part they are big, bad, and colourful. It requires teamwork with the other party members to kill a boss, because they all have a certain weakness for you to discover and exploit. Visually though, the bosses fit in perfectly with the surroundings and enhance the other graphic works of art. There is a good variety of enemies to kill and each looks as fierce as the last, which is fortunate as you are constantly bombarded by hordes of slavering fiends just crying out for you to hack them down to size!

Some aspects of Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone please me, like the fantastic mage, nice upgrade system and the great voiceovers but there are a few flaws too, such as the lack of multiplayer and the other two less interesting characters. A good story like this indicates that there may be a sequel and maybe we'll see a co-op mode in that. Dungeon & Dragon fanatics and fans of the hack 'n' slash genre should give this a go, because regardless of its faults, or rather limitations, it's not a bad game and plenty of entertainment awaits any brave adventurers willing to disengage their brains and charge in swinging.

Reviewed by Dexter Pearson for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).